Penn State will be facing off against Wisconsin this Friday at 9pm EST. The dual meet will be at Wisconsin and can be streamed on the Big Ten Network.
Projected Matches:
125- Gary Steen vs Eric Barnett
This is the bout that will be the most favorable for the Badgers this dual out of the three that they are projected to win.
Steen may be able to keep it to a decision but Barnett has been looking very impressive and just grabbed a win over Brandon Courtney at the Midlands Championships.
I would have to go Barnett by major here but a decision would not be too surprising.
133- Roman Bravo-Young vs Taylor LaMont
Not much to go off of here as it is LaMont’s first year in the 133 pound weight class. However Vito Arujau of Cornell was able to put a major decision on LaMont when they wrestled at the dual.
Bravo-Young should be able to get the win no problem but the bonus points is where the question stands.
141- Beau Bartlett vs Joe Zargo
Bartlett has been looking phenomenal so far this season and has solidified himself as a top 10 and maybe even top 5 guy in this weight class.
He has not been too big with bonus points against high level guys so I would say he will get the decision victory against Zargo.
149- Shayne Van Ness vs Austin Gomez
A few weeks ago I would have said this will be a blowout for Austin Gomez, and it still might be. However Van Ness looked very solid taking Iowa State’s Paniro Johnson to the wire and almost snagging a win there.
It would be hard to bet against Gomez in this situation being that the dual is in Wisconsin and he has not lost since Paniro, which includes a win over Yianni Diakomihalis.
If Van Ness gets it going there is a possibility that he wins but for the time being Gomez would have to be my pick here.
157- Terrell Barraclough vs Garrett Model
This one could go either way at 157 pounds and a lot of people would say that Model has the advantage here.
Can’t really make a pick here but I would say wherever the momentum is going would decide the winner and that would most likely be Wisconsin.
165- Alex Facundo vs Dean Hamiti
This is another match like Van Ness vs Gomez at 149 where Facundo proved himself to be able to hang with the best after this close match with David Carr.
Hamiti tends to overwhelm opponents with his length and pace which is what potentially could happen here which is the reason I would not pull too hard to a Facundo upset.
174- Carter Starocci vs Josh Otto
Starocci should have no trouble getting the win over Otto here who looks to be the guy for Wisconsin.
At minimum it looks like it will be a major but a tech or pin are definitely on the table.
184- Aaron Brooks vs Tyler Dow
Another outmatch here to be honest. Brooks should have no trouble grabbing a tech or a pin here over Dow in this match.
197- Max Dean vs Braxton Amos
Amos’ only losses on the season are to Yonger Bastida and to Zach Braunagel in a weird tiebreaker match to say the least.
Dean is a massive favorite on paper but I would say that this match is a lot close than a lot of people give it credit for.
285- Greg Kerkvliet vs Trent Hillger
Kerkvliet has looked beyond impressive this season and looks to be the unanimous number one for the remainder of this season should Gable Steveson not return.
Hillger looks much better than he did last season and may be headed back to the podium. The last time these two guys met it was a 7-3 decision victory for Kerkvliet.
A major decision for Kerkvliet seems doable here should he be able to get his offense going but a decision seems more likely.
